Mehr News Agency – Iran’s Minister of Science, Research and Technology Mansour Gholami said that the Silk Road has historically been the gateway of science, culture and trade exchange from China to Iran, Greece, and Rome. He made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the International Conference on Silk Road in Hamedan, northwestern city of Iran on Monday.
The Gondishapur University was founded as the world’s first university in Iran which dates back 6th century, he said. World history shows that science and knowledge fields have been formed in Iran, Greece, Rome and China he added.
Referring to the history of Hamedn, Gholami mentioned that it has been the center of science exchanges throughout history, and many scientists are from this area of Iran. Cultural exchanges are valuable achievements of these meetings for the people along the Silk Road, he noted.
Referring to the annual Sacred Defense Week which marks the 39th anniversary of the 1980s Iraqi-imposed war on Iran, the science minister highlighted that the Iranian people have never invaded any country throughout the history.
The International Conference on Silk Road is currently underway in Hamedan northwestern city of Iran in the presence of Silk Road members from 23- 29 September 2019. It is organized by the UNESCO World Heritage Center and UNESCO Cluster Office in Tehran in cooperation with the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO and the Iranian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism.
Representatives from Iran, Afghanistan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Pakistan, the Republic of Korea, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as Bhutan as an observer are attending the conference.
This conference aims to build a link between heritage of religious interest and the Silk Roads. It will bring together renowned experts to discuss and highlight how different faiths and beliefs influenced the cultural heritage sites along the ancient Silk Roads.
